Eleven-year-old Theo and sister, Eliana, aged eight, talk about their step-dad, Daz, who suffers from Chronic Kidney Disease.
What do you know about kidney disease and the kidneys?
Theo: I think they process liquid from what you drink. If you don’t drink enough fluid, I think you can have kidney stones. I think kidney stones would be extremely painful. I don’t know much about kidney disease, apart from it’s a disease in the kidneys. I think it could have a lot of symptoms, maybe feeling sick and not eating very much at all. I think maybe having high blood pressure might be a part of it too.
Eliana: I think kidneys clean your blood. I think they are in the back part of your body.
How does kidney disease affect your step dad?
Theo: I don’t know much about how it affects my step dad. It does make it difficult for him to do certain activities that other people could find easy. My step dad does sleep a lot, I guess it’s because he needs a lot of rest. My step dad has to take a lot of tablets to help control the symptoms of kidney disease. It’s important that my step dad has lots of fruit and vegetables to keep him healthy. He also drinks plenty of water too.
Eliana: It makes Daz sad. He takes lots of medication, just like me. He sleeps loads in the day time.
What impact does CKD have on the rest of the family?
Theo: Kidney disease affects our family because sometimes my step dad doesn’t have enough energy to do activities that the rest of us are able to do. However, because my step dad eats healthily, it helps and encourages us to all eat more healthily too.
Eliana: We have to wait for Daz to wake up before we can go out to some places. Sometimes he has to go to the toilet a lot.
Do you believe the work your step-dad does in raising awareness is important?
Theo: Definitely. Because it can help other people with kidney disease and other people who raise awareness of kidney disease. Also, it helps others who don’t know much because they can learn more about kidneys.
Eliana: Yes. I think it helps lots of people. I think it helps people learn.
Do you think enough people know about kidney disease?
Theo: No. I didn’t know anything about kidney disease before my step dad came into my life. My friends don’t know anything about kidneys or kidney disease. My Mum and sisters didn’t know anything about kidney disease either.
Eliana: No they might not know what it is. We don’t learn about kidney disease in school.
Do you know the best ways to protect yourself and your health against the risk factors for kidney disease?
Theo: I think eating healthy food and having more exercise can protect against kidney disease. I think drinking water is healthy as well. I know too much sugar and salt can be bad.
Eliana: Eating fruit can help because it’s healthy. I think running and keeping fit can help too.
Last Reviewed on 20 May 2024